02 May PSHAT VS KABBALLAH

The day of Lag
B’omer is the day
that Rabbi Shimon
Bar Yochai revealed
to the world the
deepest secrets of
the Torah, known as
the Kabbalah, written in the Sefer HaZohar.
Though it was not only these secrets that
were revealed in the Zohar; Mekubalim
drew from the wellsprings of the Zohar many
Halachot as well. However, many times the
Halachot either written in or derived from
the Zohar are contrary to those that are in the
Shulchan Aruch, and the Poskim therefore
discuss what to do in such an event.
Do all agree?
This discussion seems to be a difference
of opinions between Sephardim and
Ashkenazim. The Bet Yosef (who wrote
the Shulchan Aruch), whom the Sephardim
generally follow, wrote (קמא סימן (that the
Zohar overrides the ruling of the Poskim: לא
In .“שבקינן דברי” הזוהר מפני דברי הפוסקים
contrast, the Rema, who is the Posek of
the Ashkenazim, argued that we follow
the poskim over the Zohar: מדברי לזוז ״אין

הפוסקים אף אם היו דברי הזוהר חולקים עליהם. כן
נראה לי דלא כבית יוסף״
The Bet Yosef explained(כה‘ סי או״ח (that
in reality any Posek who ruled contrary to
the Zohar did so only because he hadn’t seen
the Zohar’s opinion; had the Posek seen the
words of the Zohar, surely he would change
his mind and rule in accordance with the
Zohar. The reason the Poskim didn’t see
what the Zohar says is because the Zohar
was hidden for about 1500 years after Rabbi
Abba wrote all those wonderful secrets that
were given to him by Rabbi Shimon Bar
Yochai.
Let’s give just one of the many examples of

this concept. In the halachot of משנה לחם-
Lechem Mishne on Shabbat (the two loaves

of bread required on Shabbat meals), we
learn that on Friday night we should cut
the bottom loaf. The Bet Yosef says that
according to the Pshat one should really cut
the top bread; nevertheless, we don’t do that,
rather we cut the bottom loaf since that is the
opinion of the holy Zohar. The Bach argued
on the Bet Yosef strongly asking how it’s
possible that he ignores the Gemara’s ruling
that one may not skip over a Mitzvah (אין

המצוות על מעבירין (that’s in front of him and
go to the Mitzvah under it because of the
Zohar?!?!
Later of poskim opinion
Later poskim followed this principle as
סימן כח,ס״ָק ) Berura Mishna The .well
מב (who was the leading authority for the
Ashkenazim, wrote to follow the Gemara
and the Poskim over the Zohar and
Kabbalah; with an exception–whenever
the Poskim didn’t state their opinion or
whenever the Poskim argue over a certain
law, then the Zohar would will determine.
Another exception is if the Kabbalah is
more stringent than the Pshat, then we
should follow the Kabbalah. Contrary to
that, the Kaf Hachai,m who was the late
that) סימן כה, ס״ק עה) wrote ,Posek Sefaradi
the Sefaradi approach is the way Maran the
Bet Yosef wrote (see above), that L’Halacha
we go with the Zohar ruling.
He brings the words of the Rav Mas’at
even that) משאת בנימין סי‘ סב דף זן) Binyamin
if all the poskim in the world would say
differently from the Zohar, we still follow
the Zohar over everybody.
Sefer Petach Hadvir(ח עמוד ח״ב (‘writes
that Maran the Shulchan Aruch always
brings the Zohar to Halacha in his Sefer.
Minhagim
Moreover, this applies not only to
Halachic matters but also to Minhagim–
customs as well. Although the Shulchan
Aruch wrote that one may not change
any Minhag (custom) in any way, and
proceeded to give a disclaimer in his
introduction to his great essay, the Bet
Yosef on the Tur, that if he might say
something that is not with accordance
with one’s Minhag, one should ignore his
Psak and follow the Minhag, but when it
came to the Zohar, he seemed to follow
the Zohar over the Minhag. For example,
he brings (נט‘ סי או״ח (the Minhag
mentioned by the Rosh and Rabenu Yona
that one may say “Kedusha” of “Yotser”
and “U’va Letsion Goel’’ without a
minyan (quorum of ten men), but since
the Zohar holds otherwise we don’t
follow the Minhag.
Here as well the Rema (in Darkei Moshe
ג ס״ק (‘argued and said that the Minhag
must be kept even against the Zohar’s
opinion.
Since the Sephardim always follow the
Shulchan Aruch, in this very case it isn’t
any different, and one must follow his
Psak that Kabbala overrides the Pshat
and all other Poskim. Moreover, even if

the Bet Yosef himself says differently than
the Kabbalah, Sephardim must follow the
. (כף החיים שם) .Kabbalah
This also applies to the laws of Berachot,
as whenever we have a doubt whether a
Beracha should be said or not, the rule of
thumb is that we usually don’t say the
,Surprisingly .)ספק ברכות להקל) Beracha
when the Ari (the Ari was the main master
of Kabbalah) says that a Beracha should
be said we must say it even if the Poskim
argue and even if the Shulchan Aruch holds
חיד״א בברכי יוסף סי‘ מו) .said be t’shouldn it
יא אות (it’s worthwhile to note that Chacham
Ovadia argues on this ruling of the Chida.
It’s interesting to note that Chacham
Ovadia was also very opposed to this entire
approach that Kabbala overrides Pshat, as
he wrote many times that L’Halacha we
only go according to Pshat. Concerning that
which we brought above, Chacham Ovadia
argued that it’s a misunderstanding of the
concept, as the Halacha follows Kabbala
only when it’s the Zohar itself against the
Poskim, since the Zohar is an ancient Sefer
written many years prior to the Poskim; but
when the Gemara argues with the Zohar, or
the Poskim argue with the Mekubalim, we
always follow the Gemara and Poskim. (ראה
.(באריכות בעין יצחק ח״ג עמוד רסד
Final words
The above is a rundown of the opinions on
the matter of Kabbalah vs Pshat, but it’s
important to note that in reality the Kabbalah
and Pshat do not argue at all, but rather deal
with two separate levels of the Torah which
complement and complete each other. The
Vilna Gaon explained that anyone who
thinks they argue is mistaken. Therefore, all
that the Poskim wrote was only in relation to
how to direct us in the Halacha, since to us it
looks like it’s contradictory and we have to
act in one way or the other.
The way the Mekubalim explain this ( חסד
that is ) לאברהם בהקדמה לאור החמה על הזוהר
the Torah has (so to speak) soul, body and
clothing. The simple understanding of the
Torah (Pshat) is the clothing part, while the
laws and Mitzvot of the Torah is the body,
and the Kabbalah is the soul.